The Juno spacecraft flew by Jupiter’s moon Io for the second time in less than two months.
NASA’s Juno spacecraft took a picture of the moon Io in conjunction with the planet Jupiter and in an atypical state of rest. Space reported it.
The scientists also published a video showing the device’s gradual approach to Jupiter’s satellite – “a globe reflected by light reflections” from volcanic eruptions.
It is noted that Juno was launched in 2011 and entered orbit around Jupiter in 2016. The mission was originally scheduled to end in 2021, but NASA continued the mission to explore some of the planet’s largest moons.
The Juno spacecraft first passed within 1,500 kilometers of the Moon in December 2023, coming closer than any other spacecraft except Galileo in 2001.
In the past few days, Juno has circled Jupiter 58 times.
According to the researchers, Io “has the misfortune to be subject to a grand gravitational play, as massive Jupiter and its moon Europa pull in Io and turn it into a hotbed of volcanic activity.”
By using Juno to study Io, scientists hope to determine how the planet and its volcanoes work.
Juno’s extended mission will now last until September 2025.
It was previously reported that a team of astronomers discovered a dwarf galaxy that appeared in images from the James Webb Space Telescope.
Source: korrespondent
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